Sunday School

Discovering Bible Promises 12 Scripture List

We are continuing a Topical study on Biblical promises.

Our study source is:

The Bible Promise Book
1985 by Barbour and Company, Inc.

Our current Topic is God’s Love.

It is important to read the verses not alone but in context.

Comfort

Deuteronomy 7:13

Psalms 146:8

Proverbs 15:9

Isaiah 62:5

Jeremiah 31:3

Jeremiah 32:41

Hosea 14:4

Zephaniah 3:17

John 3:16

John 16:27

John 17:23

John 17:26

Ephesians 2:4-7

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

1 John 4:10

1 John 4:16

1 John 4:19

Discovering Bible Promises 11 Scripture List

We are continuing a Topical study on Biblical promises.

Our study source is:

The Bible Promise Book
1985 by Barbour and Company, Inc.

Our current Topic is Comfort.
It is important to read the verses not alone but in context.

Comfort

Psalms 9:9

Psalms 18:2

Psalms 22:24

Psalms 27:14

Psalms 37:24

Psalms 37:39

Psalms 46:1-3

Psalms 55:22

Psalms 138:7

Lamentations 3:31-33

Nahum 1:7

Matthew 11:28

John 16:33

2 Corinthians 1:5

Discovering Bible Promises 10 Scripture List

We are continuing a Topical study on Biblical promises.
Our study source is:

The Bible Promise Book
1985 by Barbour and Company, Inc.

Our current Topic is Fear.
It is important to read the verses not alone but in context.

Fear

Psalms 23:4-5

Psalms 27:1-3

Psalms 46:1

Psalms 91:4-6

Proverbs 1:33

Proverbs 3:24

Proverbs 3:25-26

Proverbs 29:25

Isaiah 14:3

Isaiah 41:13

Isaiah 43:2

Isaiah 51:12

Isaiah 54:4

Isaiah 54:14

Matthew 10:28

Mark 4:40

Luke 12:32

John 14:27

Romans 8:15

Romans 8:37-39

Hebrews 13:6

2 Timothy 1:7

1 Peter 3:12-14

REACHING YOUR FULL POTENTIAL

Text: Selected Scriptures from NASB

Introduction: Some of the most painful and difficult times of my life have been when God was in the process of breaking me to prepare me for greater service. I have never enjoyed this process, although I know the outcome always leads to growth and blessing. Most people feel the same way. There is enough independence left within us that we want to draw back and avoid anything that resembles hardship or trouble. Yet these are the very tools God uses to increase our faith and prepare us for the next step. The message of brokenness does not appeal to those who only want to live for themselves and not for God. While none of us would be eager to sign up to experience a season of brokenness, we can learn to endure it with patience and steadfast hope once we understand that God sees our potential and has a plan for the adversity He allows to touch our lives.

I. FOR THOSE WHO BEAR HEAVY BURDENS (Acts 13:22; Job 2:9, 13:15)

Throughout this series, we have discussed King David and others whom God has used. One of the primary characteristics of David’s life was that he had a heart for God.

[READ Acts 13:22]
22 … He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’

However, if you didn’t know anything about his life other than the years he spent running away from King Saul and the threat of death, you would be tempted to wonder what God was doing.

In 1 Samuel 16, the Lord instructs the prophet Samuel to anoint David king of Israel, but nothing significant happened in this direction for a long time. Imagine being called into the office of the CEO of your company and being told that you had just received a very important promotion. In your mind, it is time to clean out the desk in the cubicle you have been working in for the past three years and get ready for a move to an upstairs office with windows and a pastoral view of woodlands. But nothing happens. You pray, and God confirms that He has a plan for your life and especially for your circumstances.

David may have had times of disillusionment, but we never read of him wanting to do anything other than to achieve the goal that God had set for him. If that meant waiting, then he was ready to wait indefinitely. His relationship with the Lord was tightly woven with threads of faith, hope, love, and surrender. You will never reach your full potential as long as you look at your circumstances and say, “God, I can’t,” or “God, I won’t.” The truth is: brokenness is a pathway to blessing. But it also is the way God uncovers our true potential. Rarely does He use people until He has broken them. This process can be very painful, but one of the best ways to advance through it is to surrender your problems and fears to the Lord. Be willing to obey Him, and be willing to wait or move forward at His command.

Clinging to disappointments and feelings of anger and frustration only prolong the journey. These also have the potential to tempt us to doubt God’s goodness and plan. Resist feelings of self-pity, especially when the enemy whispers, “This is the end,” “You will never get out from under this burden,” or “You are alone, and there is no one to help you.” Friends and family members can be great encouragers, but they also can be tempted to offer discouragement instead of faithful support. èo Remember what Job’s wife suggested when he faced severe temptation? She told him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). He ignored her negative counsel and said, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (13:15).

II. KNOW WHEN TO LET GO (Num. 11:15; Mt. 11:28-30)

Have you ever felt like Moses, David, or Job? You’ve come to a point in your life where you want to say, “Lord, this problem is too great for me -- too vast, too heavy, and too hurtful. I can’t handle it alone.” This was where Moses found himself -- wondering how he would continue at such a stiff pace with such an unwilling group of people. Numbers 11 outlines the nation of Israel’s decline in the area of morale. With the excitement of their escape from Egypt behind them, they began to think about what they had done and the inconveniences of living on the road. This is when they began to complain and murmur against Moses and the Lord. God was not pleased with their actions or words. He had provided their freedom from slavery, but they wanted even more. Even more devastating, they really did not want anyone to tell them what they could or could not do.

Moses became so depressed by the actions of the people that he cried out the Lord. Listen to what he said …

[READ Num. 11:15]
15 So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.”

The bottom line is, Moses wanted to die! And he needed to let go and allow God to take control of his life and circumstances. There will be times in each one of our lives when God gives us a task to do that appears far too great for us to handle. At first, prideful thoughts can tempt us to think we can handle the job no matter how great the challenge may seem. However, God did not create us to work independently of Him. We can do nothing apart from Him.

If you want to reach your full potential, allow God to have the problems that you are facing. Surrender them to Him. It may seem simple when written in black and white, but it is rare. Many people believe they have given their problems to God, but they have not. They lay them down only to pick them up again. How do you know when you are still carrying a burden or a problem? Usually, you know by the weight of the burden. If it is heavy to the point of being destructive, you must stop and ask God to show you if He wants you to bear this load on your own. Jesus instructed His followers with these words,

[READ Mt. 11:28-30]
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”

The Savior wanted the people to give their burdens to Him. In New Testament times, a yoke was used to couple animals together so they could work more effectively. Jesus used this term with a positive application. He is teaching us that His yoke is easy, light, and much more productive. When we share our burdens with Him, He comes alongside us and lifts the yoke up so that it is not weighing us down. But if we insist on shouldering the weight alone, we will fall and not get up. Everything boils down to a matter of trust. Do you trust God with your problem, your future, and your immediate circumstances.

III. HIS EYE IS SET ON THE GOAL (1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 12:7; 11-12; Rom. 7)

God always has His eye set on the finish line. But He also is very concerned about how we arrive at the point of destination. Israel came to the doorway of the promised land but refused to enter because they believed they knew better than the Lord. They had not learned what it meant to submit to His will and plan for their lives. However, forty years later, the attitude of the nation had changed. Instead of resisting His will, they knew to obey and entered the land without hesitation. God had trained them through the difficulties they had faced. Therefore, the time they had been in the wilderness was not wasted. God had prepared them to receive the promise and the blessing He had given years earlier.

In times of training and brokenness, God targets specific areas in our lives that are hindering His purpose and will. He arranges the circumstances for our brokenness and also chooses the tools by which this will be accomplished. He also controls the emotional and physical pressure that is applied to our life. All of this is done in an effort to teach us how to submit to His will. God created us for Himself and for His purposes. Paul writes,

[READ 1 Cor. 6:19-20]
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

The people who have the greatest difficulty with submission to God usually are the ones who have no desire to live their lives solely for Him. They would rather go to church on Sunday, but leave God out of the rest of their week. When they do, the miss the greatest source of blessing and hope known to man, which is an intimate relationship with the Savior -- the God of the universe who loves them unconditionally. By saying “no” to God, they never fully experience the dynamic presence of His Spirit living in them. The source of our strength shifts from our limited ability to His infinite resources. We may feel the pressure as it rises, but we also have clarity and can make right choices as we roll the problem over onto the Lord. We allow Him to give us the wisdom we need to solve it without having to carry a mental and physical weight that is far too great for us to bear. God has a purpose and a plan for every situation we face. In fact, you cannot think of a problem that is too great or vast for Him.

One of the reasons brokenness is such a painful experience is because God works at deep levels. He also deals with the very issues that w do not want Him to touch. Ultimately, He wants to control every aspect of our lives. And the last thing we want to do is surrender this type of access to anyone -- including the Lord. In an earlier lesson, we talked about the apostle Paul and how God allowed him to face tremendous suffering (2 Cor. 12:7). As we read his letters, and especially Acts, we find that Paul faced great opposition. However, he never lost sight of the gal that God had given him. And he stopped resisting God and opened himself up to the corrective hand of the Lord.

When problems come, our greatest challenge is to remember that He uses adversity to bring us to a point of surrender so we can reach our full potential. Once Paul accepted Christ, his life changed. His personal goals shifted and suddenly became very unimportant to him. The only thing that mattered was his service and dedication to the Lord. è Brokenness brings clarity and focus to our lives. Paul may have struggled with many of the same temptations we face, but he was determined to continue to live for the truth he was called to proclaim (see Rom. 7).

One of the most spiritually dangerous thoughts you can have is, I’m glad I have learned that lesson. As soon as we allow those words to pass through our minds, we should sense a check in our spirits, because we never completely learn all there is to learn when it comes to areas such as pride, forgiveness, waiting on God, and much more. We may learn a great deal about these areas, but there is so much more that God wants to teach us. Paul was not an exception to the rule. Throughout his life, he faced one valley experience after another (see 2 Cor. 11-12). He was beaten on several occasions, shipwrecked at least twice, and was always under the threat of the Judaizers, who were eager to mount an opposition to his work. We might be tempted to wonder, Why would God call a man like Paul into the ministry and then allow him to face severe suffering?

There are several lessons in this area that God wants us to learn. They are the same one that He wanted to teach Paul.

A) We cannot live the Christian life apart from God.
When Paul came to know Christ, he quickly realized that God was his new instructor. The lessons he had learned as a Jewish scholar were no longer valid as solutions for the problems he faced. His new grid system was based on the saving grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything changed in Paul’s life. The knowledge he deemed as being so important suddenly appeared weak and invalid. Through I’m sure there were times when he wanted to rise up and say, “I know how to solve this situation. After all, I have a degree. I know the answer,” he did did not do it. He learned to listen for God’s voice directing and guiding him through one difficulty after another.

How do you resist using the human knowledge and ability you have learned over the years?

B) Ask God to help you see your circumstances from His perspective.

In the heat of the battle, when conflict arises, you must train yourself to stop and wait for God’s guidance. This can take place in a matter of seconds. Or it can be something that transpires over time. So, what you you do in times of emergency?

The answer is this: God knows the emergency is coming even before it appears. Let the first words you whisper in prayer to Him be words of humble submission. “Lord, I don’t understand what is happening. Please show me what to do.” The moment He hears this type of prayer, He will be moved.

He may open a door of escape, or He may be quiet and want you to wait. I imagine that after his conversion to Christ, Paul wanted to tell everyone about what had happened to him, especially those in Jerusalem. However, notice that he did not do this. Instead, he went away into Arabia where he spent time alone with God in His classroom -- studying at His feet. Most people want to rush into action. They want to solve the problem, and they want to do it now. Consequently, instead of receiving God’s blessing, they only get what they can achieve. Waiting always involves a choice, and I would rather wait an eternity for God’s solution to my problem than seek to solve it on my own. There is no comparison to the joy that comes from waiting versus rushing ahead of the Lord.

C) Realize God is doing a new work in your life.

He doesn’t always work the same way. He never changes, and His principles remain the same; however, He is very creative and many work one way today but another tomorrow. Therefore, ask Him to make you sensitive to His Spirit’s leading. You can also pray that He will close before you every door that is not the one He wants you to pass through. When you have an open and willing heart, He will provide the wisdom you need to do His will.

D) Recognize that God has a plan for the storm you are facing.

As I’ve say many times through this series of lessons, God has a purpose for every problem you face. But you must be willing to discover this, and many times He won’t reveal it immediately.

E) Recall God’s promises to you in the past. (Ps. 37:23-24)

God often gives a promise to us, but we forget about it. He promised David that one day he would be king of Israel. David never forgot this, although he had to wait years to see it fulfilled. The time he spent waiting was used to prepare him to reign. You have no idea what God is preparing for you to do. All you can see are your immediate circumstances. In times of prayer, you may have sensed God saying, “I have something that I want you to do. It will be a tremendous blessing.” He may even reveal some of His plan to you. However, the days of waiting and wondering drag on. They become weeks, and the weeks become months. Still, there is no change in your situation. You have a promise, but you wonder if you really heard from God or from yourself. You can ask God to reaffirm His will. The psalmist writes,

[READ Ps. 37:23-24]
23  The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24  When he falls, he will not be hurled down,
Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

F) Living the Christian life in our own strength is a wast of time. (Rom. 7:24-25; Mk. 4:35; Ps. 23:4)

God brought the apostle Paul to a point where he cried out,

[READ Rom. 7:24-25]
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Christ is the only one who can strip away the dross in our lives that is preventing us from being what God wants us to be. As I’ve said earlier, the process of brokenness is painful, and the depth of the pain depends on what God is seeking to remove from your life. Never overlook the fact that He has an objective that He wants you to reach. When you do, you also will reach your full potential. The problem you are facing may seem so great that you feel you will perish under its weight, but you won’t. He is in the process of shattering your old self-made life so that you may walk with Him in unity.

God also allows us to face difficulty in order to prepare us for greater service. Wheat cannot be used until it has been sifted -- winnowed by the wind and separated. We cannot expect to go through life without facing times of trouble and difficulty. And the adversity that does come our way may not be a result of anything we have done wrong. After his conversion, many of the problems Paul faced came as a direct result of his devotion to Christ and also because he lived in a broken world like us. Therefore, the entire Christian life is woven tightly together with the process of brokenness. He stretches us and breaks apart our selfishness -- not to harm us, but so that He can bless us.

Each one of us has watched believers go through deep valley times and wondered, How can they do this? The answer is, they are not doing it. God is living through them. He is bearing the weight of their burden because they have come to a point where they have stopped struggling with the difficulty and are allowing Him to carry them through the storm. Jesus told His disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake” (Mk. 4:35). David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps. 23:4). In times of extreme stress and difficulty, it may seem as though you will not reach the other side or that the valley walls will come crashing in on you, but God’s sovereign, omnipotent hand is always sheltering you, as well as, protecting and guiding you.

IV. GOD MUST BREAK US BEFORE WE CAN REACH OUR FULL POTENTIAL

There are several aspects to brokenness that many people overlook.

A) God only breaks us in love.

The entire process of brokenness is an expression of God’s love for you. Many people ask, “Lord, why would You allow this to happen to me?” Remember how we asked this same question in the opening of this particular lesson about the apostle Paul? How could God allow Paul to suffer such severe trials, especially when he was so committed to Christ? There is nothing within the process of brokenness that speaks of punishment. The day that Paul accepted Christ as his Savior on the Damascus Road, his sins were forgiven. His suffering was not a result of sin. God breaks us so that we will change and open our hears up to the fullness of His love. He allows the thorns of life to prick our lives, not for the purpose of harming us, but instead to teach us the need for total dependence on Him.

B) God always sets a limitation to our brokenness.

I mentioned this earlier. When God begins to target an area in our lives, He does not turn us over to the enemy and withdraw his hand of protection. The fact is, He does the opposite. He sets limitations on the brokenness that we experience. This includes the length of time along with the intensity of pain we feel. He never abandons us to the process but watches over us and protects us. Even though we may feel at times as if we will perish, God holds our lives in His hands. He targets the area that needs attention. He arranges the circumstances. He chooses the tools, and He controls the process.

C) God’s process of brokenness stops at the point when your will becomes broken.

He will never break your spirit -- only your resistant will. This is the area of your life where rebellion seeks shelter from god’s omniscience. It is an area where sin lurks, waiting for a safe opportunity to resurface. King Saul is a perfect example of this. He could have reigned over Israel for many more years, but he lost the throne to David because deep within his life was a thread of rebellion. And this prevented him from reaching his full potential and carrying on the work that God had called him to do. Even though Saul fought to conceal his pride and self-gratification, God knew his heart. It was never fully turned toward him. David’s, however, was.

My personal advice to those who are gong through a serious time of growth or conviction is to surrender to God. Over the course of a lifetime, each one of us will experience times of brokenness -- as a form of godly discipline and brokenness as a result of something that needs to be eradicated from our lives. God made David wait many years before he became king. However, his young heart never grew resentful or prideful. He remained steadfastly committed to receiving God’s promise at the right time. Do you have this type of commitment -- a commitment that is steadfast and not altered by the circumstances surrounding you? Acquiring this is all a matter of developing a heart-focus for God. Stay focused on God and not what you think “should” happen, and you will be able to wait for God’s provision with a great sense of peace and victory.

D) The process of brokenness ceases at the point where, if it continued, it would damage God’s greater purpose for your life.

The Lord limits our time spend in brokenness. Nothing pleases God’s heart more than a heart that is humbled before Him. So many people resist God. They don’t understand that obedience is a doorway to blessing. Those who love Him will obey Him. The blessings that come from brokenness are not necessarily material, but they are eternal and far more valuable than anything else you can own. You cannot purchase the type of peace that comes from obeying God on a store shelf. Likewise, you cannot buy the infinite joy that comes from hearing God say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” You can rush after the trappings of this world and lose all your receive, or you can worship God, live for Him, and gain eternity.

E) God uses brokenness to deepen our understanding of Him. (Isa. 55:9)

Believe it or not, you may come to a point in seasons of brokenness when you will not want it to end. This happens not because y ou enjoy experiencing heartache and trial but because if you allow God to work completely in your life, you will draw closer to Him than you imagined possible. He takes us through the breaking process and strips away the very things upon which we depend. Then we gain a new perspective of Him and His love and about what He wants to do in our lives. He removes the clamor and clutter so we can hear His voice.

[READ Isa. 55:9]
9  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Once we allow brokenness the space to work, clarity comes. The reality of His forgiveness helps us to understand that His love is not based on anything we have done or will do in the future. It is an unconditional gift He gives to those who profess their faith in Him. God’s goal is straight-forward: His brokenness is bringing us into an intimate oneness with Him. The principle of brokenness will lift almighty God, the cross, God’s grace, and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to a higher level in your life. Not only will your view of God change, your view of others will also. Thoughts of selfishness will begin to fade. Tenderness will increase.

Your critical, negative spirit will soften, and you will begin to want to help others with no thought of payback because you realize that God will never require a payback from you.

F) God never deserts us in seasons of brokenness.

This point is very important because there will be times when the emotional or physical pain becomes so great that you ill want to cry out asking God why He has abandoned you. Suffering can be intense and overwhelming. There have been times in my life when I thought, God, have You deserted me? I know better, but this is what I felt at the moment, and more than likely some of you have, too.

When brokenness finally comes, God may separate you from everything you hold as valuable and dear. It is just you and God. But He is more than enough. He is sufficient to meet all y our needs. He also wants you to keep in mind that maintaining healthy relationships with others is essential. Healthy relationships are ones in which everyone involved is completely committed and devoted to Jesus Christ. We learn to lean on God first but value the love and concern of friends. When we are in right relationships, we do not pressure others to meet our demands. Instead, we know deep inside that God is at work, and He will answer our prayers.

G) God is always patient with us in times of brokenness. (Acts 14:19-20)

God knows exactly what you are experiencing, whether you are dealing with a problem that has come as a result of sin or something that is a part of your life through no fault of your own. He knows, He sees, and He is patient with you even when you feel overwhelmed, angry, and isolated. He sees an end to your suffering. He knows the blessing that is on the way. Jesus was totally misunderstood, along with most of the disciples following His death. The apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead outside the city of Lystra. However, he did not think of himself personally but viewed God’s calling on his life more important that what men thought of him.

[READ Acts 14:19-20]
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead. 20 But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

This experience, among others, had to be very humiliating for a man of such strong character and personality. However, the level of Paul’s faith was not affected. He got up and went back into the city. More important, he did not allow this incident to top him from doing God’s will. Many times, Satan will seek to trip us up by motivating someone we may know well to question our character. When this happens, we must think quickly and wisely, and focus only on Jesus. The greater your potential is for usefulness, the more you may suffer. Problems and trials come because God has something He wants you to do -- something that no one else can do. It is dangerous to rebel against God. In fact, if you continue to fight and push against Him, ultimately He will set you aside -- literally on a shelf where you do not have an opportunity to serve Him or enjoy the many pleasures of this life.

I recently read the story of a middle-aged man who decided that he did not need to attend church any longer. Each Sunday, his wife and children would head out the door, but he remained behind. He thought, I’ll get back into the habit of going again at some point, but I work hard and just need to rest on the weekends. Time passed, and he began to notice that he was not doing well physically. He felt unusually tired and could not sleep. His doctor prescribed sleeping medication, and when that did not help, he wrote the man a prescription for depression. If there was a death in the family, the man was the first one to say, “We need to go to church together.” But then his desire would weaken, and after one or two Sundays, he would fall back into his old habit. He never really became serious about God even though God was very serious about him. So many of the health issues people face today come as a result of guilt, shame, and anxiety over the future. The Lord says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest … For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

H) God will lead you to victory through brokenness.

Young or old, God has a purpose for your life. The first step to reach His goal is to open your life up to Him. Ask Him if there is anything within you that needs His attention. He may bring something to mind, or He may not. When brokenness does come, always remember that for the believer, it is an expression of God’s love and never a form of punishment. It always leads to victory because it always leads to a closer relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

REACHING YOUR FULL POTENTIAL
Study Guide

I. ONE DECISION AFTER ANOTHER

II. GOD PROVIDES THE GUIDANCE YOU NEED (Ex. 3:6-8, 10; Acts 16:6-10)

III. GOD WANTS TO SPEAK TO YOU (Ps. 32:8; Prov. 3:5-6)

IV. OUR BURDEN-BEARER

When faced with a difficult problem, you can respond in one of three ways:

- You can continue to struggle with it and bear the weight of the situation alone.

- You can run from it and avoid dealing with it.

- You can surrender the problem and yourself to God’s care.

When you face a difficulty, God wants you to do the following:

- Seek Him in worship and prayer.

- Declare your faith in Him.

- Be willing to wait, if necessary, for His solution.

- Learn to rest in His presence, knowing that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf.

- Move forward when He directs you without questioning His method or motive.

- Claim the victory, because regardless of the outcome, God has promised to work all things together for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).

V. ESSENTIALS FOR FINDING GOD’S SOLUTION FOR YOUR PROBLEMS (Mark 4:35, 38)

There are six elements that are essential to helping you find God’s solution for the problems you face and they all start with the letter “P” to help you remember them.

- PATHWAY (Ex. 3:5)

- PATIENCE (Jas. 1:4, 17; Ps. 84:11)

- PRESSURE

There are 2 types of pressure:

- External Pressure: This is the pressure that comes from the opinions of others.

- Internal Pressure: This comes when the Holy Spirit is coaching us to make a decision or to deal with a situation. Pressure in this way means we do not really have clear guidance and direction for a decision that we are considering.

- PRAYER

- PROMISE (Jer. 33:3; Ps. 85:8)

- PEACE (Col. 3:15)

VI. THE MIGHTY HAND OF THE LORD (Josh. 4:21-24)

HOW TO FIND CLEAR GUIDANCE

Text: Selected Scriptures from NASB

Introduction: Have you ever needed to make a decision but had no idea what God wanted you to do? You wanted to do what was best, but you were not sure what that was. You were standing at a crossroads -- a place where the road divides before you -- and you wondered whether to turn right or left or say where you were.
God always has a plan in mind. The challenge for most of us is how to discover it. Many people make a mistake by believing they cannot discern His will. They think it is ether hidden or difficult to know, or that He makes His will known to others but not to them. This just is not true. He is willing to speak to each one of us, but we must be in a position where we can hear His voice. è The nation of Israel spent forty years wandering in the wilderness as a result of not listening to God. He led the people to the very door of the promised land, but they refused to go in and claim what He had given them. They were frightened at the sight of their enemies, and they forgot who was leading them -- the Lord of heaven and earth. Throughout the years that followed this moment of disobedience, God remained committed to Israel. Not matter how many wrong turns they took, He was determined to teach them how to hear His voice and to do what He had given them to do, which was to enter a land of goodness and blessing. God is long-suffering. He will never give up on you. He sees all that lies behind you and knows all that is up ahead. He is omniscient and committed to your success because He knows that when you succeed, you bring honor and glory to Him.

I. ONE DECISION AFTER ANOTHER
Forty years after Israel had turned away from the land God had given to them, He brought them back to the same place. There are times in our own lives when we refuse to do what the Lord has asked us to do. We may have missed doing His will due to ignorance of disobedience. So often, problems that arise in our lives come as a result of our not obeying God. We may be focused only on our desires, but He coaches us to turn in another direction. Still, we ignore His voice, and as we said earlier, we suffer the consequences of our disobedience. This is exactly what the nation of Israel did. Forty years later, after wandering in the desert, God brought them back to the place where they had disobeyed Him. Essentially, He gave them another opportunity to obey and gain access to His blessing. This time, they obeyed and entered the land.

God’s main form of communication is through His Word, but there are times when He speaks to us through the circumstances of life. The closer we are to Him, the greater our level of discernment will be. The first time Israel approached the land, they were only concerned about their needs. The second time, their focus had changed. Now, they were focused on doing what God wanted them to do. Isn’t it amazing how adversity sharpens our outlook and helps us see the will of God for our lives?

Problems and trials will come, and we will wonder what He is doing. Difficulty, heartache, and disappointment are the very tools He uses to teach us to honor and trust Him in greater ways. We need His clear guidance so we can avoid the pitfalls of life, but we also need to learn to listen. Israel did not go into the land the first time because they were frightened. They did not even cross the boundary line because they were shaking with fear over the sight of their enemies. Israel forgot an important principle: when God calls you to do something, He provides all you need to accomplish the task. All you need to do is obey Him and go forward -- without hesitation -- by faith.

If you do not learn the lesson you need to learn the first time, God will do what He did with Israel -- He will bring you back to the same point at another time to see if you are willing to obey Him. The next time Israel approached the promised land, they had a different perspective. They were ready to enter it. The years they had spent in the wilderness and the desert had helped to refocus their hearts on one thing: doing exactly what God wanted them to do. Regardless of the effort, they were committed, and you can learn to do the same thing. When you do, you will experience one victory after another. Your life will be framed in peace and a deep sense of joy. You also will have hope. Did you know that just as there are consequences for sin, there are consequences for obedience? One of these is hope -- hope for the future, hope for the present, and hope in all that you do.

II. GOD PROVIDES THE GUIDANCE YOU NEED (Ex. 3:6-8, 10; Acts 16:6-10)

You may be a person who is experiencing a change in your life of some kind or a financial crunch. Each day, you make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions. Your circumstances feel urgent. And for the believer who wants to walk in the power of God’s Spirit, they are. Every decision is important to God. He wants to give you direction and guidance so you will not get off track or make a mistake. Far too often, we want to see miles beyond where we are standing. The reason living life for Christ is a walk of faith is because this is what we are called to do. Trust Him for today and tomorrow and all the days that will follow. Remember, He went out before the nation of Israel, and He will do the same for you.
When Moses turned to face the burning bush, God began to instruct him. Immediately, the Lord provided direction.

[READ Ex. 3:6-8, 10]
6 And He said, “I am the God of your father -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 And the Lord said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. è 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite … 10 And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”

He also gave Gideon the insight he needed at just the right point in time (Judg. 7). He did the same for the apostle Paul. In Acts 16, Paul was headed in a certain direction to preach the gospel when God’s Spirit spoke to him, stopping him from going forward.

[READ Acts 16:6-10]
6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” è 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Was God uninterested in the cities of Asia Minor? Certainly not! He just had a different plan in mind. He knew the direction He wanted the apostle to go. Therefore, His Spirit redirected the team of missionaries. Later, Paul would travel through this region preaching god’s truth and seeing many people come to Christ. However, this moment was not the time for that. Remember, timing is everything to God. He knows exactly when to motivate us to move forward and when to hold us back. God has not stopped talking. He continues to speak to those who have accepted His Son as their Savior. However, to hear His voice, we must surrender our wills to Him and be willing to wait -- if necessary, indefinitely -- until He leads us to the next step. Waiting is an active step of faith and obedience. Paul obeyed the Lord and his ministry stayed right in step with God’s plan.

III. GOD WANTS TO SPEAK TO YOU (Ps. 32:8; Prov. 3:5-6)
God is just as interested in speaking to you as He was to Moses, Paul, Daniel, Peter, David, John, and so many more.

[READ Ps. 32:8]
8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will advise you with My eye upon you.

This is a clear promise from the Lord that He will give you direction for your life.

[READ Prov. 3:5-6]
5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6  In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

These verses provide specific promises telling us that God will guide and instruct us. We do not have to leave home or even pick up the telephone to call a friend to gain eternal wisdom about our lives and any problem we may have.

The Holy Spirit is our instructor, guide, and teacher. But sometimes we do not hear what He is saying because we are too wrapped up in our problems. We pray and think we are giving our burden to Him, but we continue to carry it around by talking about it and even frantically wondering what will happen next. When we ask God to take our burdens, He does. However, if we continue to cling to it and work on ways of solving it, we signal a lack of faith in His ability.

IV. OUR BURDEN-BEARER
When faced with a difficult problem, you can respond in three different ways.

A) You can continue to struggle with it and bear the weight of the situation alone.

Many people who do this end up suffering emotionally and physically. They become weary and discouraged, which plays right into Satan’s hand. God did not create us to carry huge emotional burdens. He wants to be our burden-bearer, but we must submit control of the situation and our lives to Him.

We all have watched as people have hung on to their problems believing if they just worked hard enough, they could come up with a solution. Even if we could, do we only want the solution that we can achieve? Or do we want what God provides? Often, the enemy whispers, “You need to stay in control to get what you want.” The truth is, we only need to do what God is requiring us to do. When rolling our burdens over onto Him, He will provide the answer we need along with the peace and release our hearts long to experience. We can be worried, or we can be discerning and give God the opportunity to work infinitely on our behalf.

B) You can run from it and avoid dealing with it.
Many people have an “I’ll deal with it tomorrow” attitude, or “I’ll pretend the problem is not there, and it will go away” mindset. Problems don’t just go away. They need to be solved, and you can either ask God to give you wisdom to know how to handle it or you can wait, deny it is there, and watch your stress level grow to a point where it is unbearable.

C) You can surrender the problem and yourself to God’s care.
For the believer, this is the only real solution. God is concerned about every area of your life. He never sees your burden as being insignificant. He knows small issues can quickly develop into large problems. Therefore, no matter how large or small a difficulty may appear, make a habit of praying about it. Through the difficulties of life, God is training you to come to Him in times of trouble and in times of joy and gladness. He never wants you to view your time in prayer as just a place to dump your worries. He has a greater purpose in mind. He wants you to develop a desire to know Him intimately. Instead of going to God in prayer with a list of things you think you need, spend time with Him in worship. Praise Him and tell Him that you only want to live your life for Him. Rest in His presence, and you will find that He knows exactly what you need even though it was never mentioned. When you face a difficulty, God wants you to do the following:

Seek Him in worship and prayer.

Declare your faith in Him.

Be willing to wait, if necessary, for His solution.

Learn to rest in His presence, knowing that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf.

Move forward when He directs you without questioning His method or motive.

Claim the victory, because regardless of the outcome, God has promised to work all things together for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).

Sometimes, the only evidence you or I have in addressing a problem is the guidance of the Holy Spirit who continues to impress upon us to move in a certain direction of faith. If we only make decisions based on what we can see or the information we have at the moment, we will miss a tremendous blessing. God has an infinite information service. He knows all there is to know about everything we are facing and how the outcome will affect our lives later. It is shocking how many people waste money trying to find out something about their future. They risk entanglement with a side of the spiritual realm that God does not want them to encounter. Believers should never consult anyone about the future other than God. He is the only One who knows the absolute truth. Horoscopes are strictly the enticement of the enemy to lure you away from the Word of God. We need to avoid this and anything else that would deny God’s power in favor of spiritualism and worldly reasoning.

V. ESSENTIALS FOR FINDING GOD’S SOLUTION FOR YOUR PROBLEMS
There are six elements that are essential to helping you find God’s solution for the problems you face and they all start with the letter “P” to help you remember them.

PATHWAY (Ex. 3:5)

To discover God’s will for your situation, you must realize that He has a step-by-step plan for you to follow. The first step includes confession of sin. There are people who believe that they can say a quick prayer and God will answer it without requiring anything from them. However, they overlook the fact that God’s first desire is for us to draw near to Him in order to enjoy His presence and fellowship. We worship Him first. Like Moses, we come to Him, bow down, and remove our “sandals” as a symbol that we know we are on holy ground (Ex. 3:5).

Second, lay down your personal desires. This is essential to overcoming the difficulties of life. Sometimes God allows hardship to coach us into into giving Him full control of our lives. I recently read a story about a young girl who struggled for some time to tie her shoes. She didn’t want her father to help her. He allowed the battle to go on. Finally, standing outside her bedroom door, he heard his young daughter say, “God, I just can’t do it. Please help me.” God is waiting for us to say, “I just can’t do this. I need Your help.” As long as we are pressing to reach our desires without considering what the Lord wants us to do, we will run into conflict. You can tell the Lord, “Father, this is what I truly want to do. I place my desires in neutral. Please show me Your will for my situation so I can be obedient to You.”

PATIENCE (Jas. 1:4, 17; Ps. 84:11)

A sign of genuine maturity is patience.

[READ Jas. 1:4]
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

In other words, let patience complete its work in your life so that you will be mature, wanting nothing other than what God in His grace and mercy freely gives to you. Have you ever considered the gifts that God gives? Many times, people avoid praying abut a problem because they do not want to face it for fear that God will punish them or withhold His goodness. God gives good gifts to His children. He wants us to be so in tune with Him that we find all our needs met in Him. He not only provides answers to problematic situations, He also provides the very things we long to receive -- friendships, gifts, and even possessions for our enjoyment -- as long as our first and only goal is to live our lives for Him.

Remember His promise to us in Psalm 84 …

[READ Ps. 84:11]
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

And James reminds us
…
[READ Jas. 1:17]
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

It is very important that you are patient with the Lord, because patience indicates that you are willing to be emptied of selfish activity and to have victory over the urge to make a snap decision. It also means you want to wait on God’s timing instead of rushing to take action when what you are doing may not be His best. Never rush to make a decision. Instead, wait until you have God’s mind concerning the problem or the circumstance you are facing. If you will do this, then you will gain tremendous insight into God’s character, attributes, and personal love for you.

PRESSURE

When it comes to making right decisions, I believe this is the greatest enemy we face. There are two types of pressure:

External: This is the pressure that comes from the opinions of others. We could call it “people pressure.” It often involves the pressure of time. For example, someone will say, “You have to make a decision in three days.” This type of demand can set the stage for extreme pressure. You feel pressured to make a decision now rather than later. There are some major decisions in life where we need to take time -- days, weeks, or even months -- to understand God’s will and mind. There are other times when we need to move forward by deciding what needs to be done. The Lord understands time restraints. He knows when you truly do need to make a decision, and will make His will known in accordance with the need you have. Therefore, never allow yourself to be pressured by others if you know that God is prompting you to wait. On the other hand, do not allow the enemy to hold you back from stepping forward to make a decision that is clearly God’s best for you.

Internal: This comes when the Holy Spirit is coaching us to make a decision or to deal with a situation. Pressure in this way means we do not really have clear guidance and direction for a decision that we are considering. It is God’s ways of saying, “Be patient. Don’t yield to the pressure of those externally who would force you to make a decision when you are not ready.” You may not have all the facts. Therefore, when the pressure increases, tell the Lord, “I’m Your servant. It is my duty [you are duty-bound to be obedient to God] to obey You. In order for me to do this, I need to know Your will for my situation. I cannot follow unless You are guiding me. Please open my heart and mind to Your plan and show me exactly what You want me to do. So, Lord, I’m waiting patiently for You, refusing to be pressured into anything. I have cleared my mind and my heart of any known sin or personal desire. Now, Lord, tell me what You want me to do.”

PRAYER
Often, when it comes to prayer, the key to hearing God’s voice and gaining His wisdom is learning to persist in prayer. You may think that prayer is something that you do only in the morning during your quiet time with God or late in the evening when things are quiet. However, prayer is a lifestyle. And we can live in a state of prayer even when we are going about our normal routines. Learning to pray God’s way includes persistence, waiting, and listening. Through prayer, He prepares us for His answer. He points out the areas that need to be addressed, but He also teaches us His principles to live by. There will be times when God withholds an answer until we have submitted to His will. Ultimately, prayer is a method He uses to position us for blessing.

Ÿ PROMISE (Jer. 33:3; Ps. 85:8)

The same God who led Abraham away from his home in Ur is willing to lead you through the difficulty you are facing. And the same Lord who led the nation of Israel into the promised land desires to do the same for you -- to lead you to a place of extreme blessing and hope. He wants to guide you -- to give you wisdom and to provide for every need you have. It begins with a promise:

“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jer. 33:3).

There are countless promises in God’s Word. Begin to read it with an open and submitted heart, and you will discover fresh hope and enough courage to face each day.

[READ Ps. 85:8]
8  I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
And may they not turn back to foolishness.

There is also a warning here about opening the Bible and looking for an answer without truly seeking God. You’ve probably heard people say they just opened God’s Word and found a scripture that seemed to justify their actions. Sometimes they were sinful actions. You never want to flip open the Bible and scan the text for an answer or for justification for what you want to do. This is highly dangerous, but you definitely want to study His Word and over time, you will gain insight into God’s solution for your problems. When you spend time with Him, He reveals Himself to you.

Ÿ PEACE (Col. 3:15)

In Colossians 3:15, God gives us a beautiful promise that we can claim for our lives and the difficulties we face:
[READ Col. 3:15] è
15 Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.

Paul is saying that we need to learn how to let peace be an umpire over our hearts. When the peace of God is standing sentinel over your heart, fear, anxiety, depression, and anger will not be able to set up a stronghold.

A sense of perfect peace is evidence that you are either in the middle of God’s will or that you have made the necessary adjustment to get to that point.

Having God’s peace comes as the result of having the right focus. When your heart and mind are set on Christ, you will not be shaken, even when the winds of adversity kick up around you or the threat of failure comes swiftly like a flood. Peace, God’s peace, will rule your heart. If someone is seeking to push you into making a decision, refuse to budge until you know that you have a sense of peace from God.

The final confirmation that you have God’s peace is a sense of rest within your life. You are not rushing to meet life head-on. Instead, you are operating alongside God with a supernatural strength and sense of discernment that come from surrendering your life to Him. The struggle to do more, get ahead, experience more, and gain more has ended. You have a sense of peace, not because of what you have, but because of who has you, and this is your greatest reward -- life everlasting lived out in the arms of unconditional love and infinite grace!

VI. THE MIGHTY HAND OF THE LORD (Josh. 4:21-24)
When the nation of Israel reached the promised land, God instructed them to collect twelve stones from the Jordan River from the place where the priests had been standing. These stones represented the twelve tribes of Israel. God had delivered the nation into the land, and how they were about to build a memorial to Him -- one that would be a reminder of His faithfulness to future generations.

[READ Josh. 4:21-24]
21 And he said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; è 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Have you set up a memorial to God for the times He has delivered you from your enemies? Maybe you keep a daily journal and can look back to see the many ways He has worked in your life. Regardless of how you do it, He wants you to recall His faithfulness and live with the promise that no matter how great a trial appears, He will help you solve it.

GOD’S PURPOSE FOR ADVERSITY

Text: Selected Scriptures from NASB

Introduction: God teaches us some of His greatest lessons in times of adversity. Yet we wonder, “Isn’t there another way? Why does He allow us to hurt like I am hurting? Will the pain I feel inside ever stop?”

Many times, we can identify with the hurt a person is feeling. However, there are other times when we simply cannot. We know what adversity feels like to us, but the problem in someone else’s life may seem too great, the hurt too deep, and the sorrow too intense. Still, there is a common thread in every problem we face: a desperate need to know that God understands and that He hears our prayers. We may not have a serious illness, but more than likely, we know what it feels like to face a difficulty that seems both overwhelming and debilitating. When you see someone who is hurting, ask God to give you the wisdom you need to respond with compassion and understanding. In Psalm 18, the psalmist writes,

[READ Ps. 18:2-3, 6] è 1 SLIDE
2  The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3  I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
6  In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

God is our comforter in times of trial and sorrow. He is our refuge and strength when we feel as though we cannot face another trying day. He is our protection when problems grow too large for us to handle, and He is our shield and our deliverer. There is no reason for us to be fearful because He is with us at every moment and at every turn. He is sovereign. This means that He has full knowledge of the problem or sorrow that we are facing, and He is all-powerful -- nothing is beyond His ability to heal or restore. è

I. BELIEVE IN GOD’S ABILITY (Lk. 8:52, 5:22, 8:55; Jer. 29:11; Ps. 46:10; Isa. 49:15-16)

In Luke, we read how Jairus, an official of the synagogue, came to Jesus seeking healing for his twelve-year-old daughter. The Savior agreed to go with the man to his home to see the little girl. When Jesus and His disciples arrived at Jairus’ house, they saw people weeping and overcome with sorrow. Immediately, the Lord sought to assure them that the little girl was not dead. She was only sleeping (Lk. 8:52). Actually, the people had seen her die. From their viewpoint, there was no saving her.

Earlier, Luke had recorded a conversation that Jesus had with Jewish officials who thought they had insight into God’s way of thinking, but they didn’t. The Lord asked them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts” (Lk. 5:22). Though the situation had changed, these people were doing the same thing. They were looking at their circumstances from a human perspective. The scribes and Pharisees had been concerned about sin, but these people were simply concerned that someone they loved deeply had died. èo
Jesus took the little girl by the hand and commanded her to sit up, “and her spirit returned, and she got up immediately” (Lk. 8:55). Death is a part of life on earth. There are times when God intervenes, and those we love remain with us. However, there are other times when He allows our loved ones to go and be with Him. In each circumstance, we should ask Him to show us how to pray and then to give us the ability to see our situation from His perspective. These two steps of prayer based on Jeremiah 29:11 are essential to gaining His strength in times of adversity:

[READ Jer. 29:11] è 1 SLIDE
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” è
Ÿ “Lord, show me how to pray so that I may know Your will for my life and my situation.” è
Ÿ “Give me the ability to see my situation from Your perspective. Help me to understand that You have a future planned for me, and it is one full of hope and promise.”

We may not fully understand the problems that we face, but God does perfectly. He knows the right words to speak to our hearts so that we are encouraged, lifted up, and sense His covering of protection falling down around us. However, we must be still enough in our spirits to hear Him when He speaks.
Are you listening? Or are you still talking nonstop to Him about the circumstances of your life? In times of crisis, He wants you to be still and know that He is God (Ps. 46:10). He has not forgotten you. In fact, He acknowledges that your name is written on the very palm of His hand.

[READ Isa. 49:15-16] è 1 SLIDE
15  “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
16  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.
With this truth in mind, why would you ever worry? èo

II. AN UNPLANNED STORM (Mk. 4:35, 38)

Adversity can be a swift teacher if you allow it to do its refining work in your life. We are never alone in our heartache. God is with us. At times, it may feel as though He is not listening or watching, but He is. He understands when we feel forgotten, wary, and overwhelmed. When the disciples were caught in a horrific storm on the Sea of Galilee, He was with them, but they didn’t know the extent of His care and love for them. Therefore, they cried out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mk. 4:38). In their hearts, they knew Jesus did care, but they were afraid. More than likely, they did what many of us do. They waited to pray. The winds began to blow harder, and the waves grew higher, and still they tried not to cry out. But when it appeared that their boat would capsize and they would drown, they cried out to Him.
Jesus may have appeared to be sleeping, but He was completely aware of their circumstances, just as He is of yours. Have you ever wondered if Jesus is aware of your needs? He is, and He has a solution for the problems you face. In times of crisis, our goal should be to discover His will for our lives concerning the problem. Then we should ask Him to show us how we can faithfully obey Him. The fact is, in this particular situation, the Savior had been the One who instructed the disciples to leave the area where He had been teaching and row to the opposite side of the lake (Mk. 4:35). There will be times in your life when God leads you out onto a stormy sea. From your perspective, it appears that you will drown. The sky is dark, the sea is swelling, and the wind is violent. You have no idea how you will survive, but God knows. He is the one who has led you to this point, and no matter how rough your sea becomes, He will carry you on to safety.
Don’t overlook what Jesus told His disciples: He said, “Let us go over to the other side” (Mk. 4:35). He said nothing about stopping midway and drowning. While He did not necessarily promise an easy, carefree journey, He certainly said nothing about dying or drowning. In fact, He said, “Let’s go to the other side.” In other words, they were going to make it, but no one in the group thought about the choice of Christ’s words. How many of us stop along the way and become frightened by our circumstances? There are times when life becomes very difficult, and all we can do is believe in the One who has never failed us and keep moving forward until He tells us to stop. è

III. A MATTER OF FOCUS (Ps. 23:1-4)

David writes,
[READ Ps. 23:1-4] è 2 SLIDES
1  The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2   He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake. è
4  Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.

Notice that David did not say, “If I get through the valley.” He said, “Though I walk through.” His focus was set on God -- not on the shadows or the depth of his trouble but only on the Lord. Are you walking through a difficult time and wondering whether you will get through it or not? The answer always is yes when God is involved. The enemy may seek to tell you that you will not, but you will Trust Him, obey Him, and then watch to see what He will do on your behalf. è Adversity teaches us the importance of the following:

1) Obeying God (Ps. 18:29-30; Ex. 33:15)
The primary thing we need to learn about all of God’s principles which will make the greatest difference in our lives is to obey God, and leave all the details to Him. This one principle is foundational to every area of our Christian life. Obey God, and He will guide you through the stormy times to a place of great blessing. This may or may not mean material blessings. The true blessings of God can rarely be counted because He places them within our hearts. There is no eternal value that we can assign to the eternal love of God, the overflowing goodness of His mercy and grace, and His compassion that engulfs us and holds us secure and close whenever the winds of adversity blow hard against us. Obey God, and you will know what it means to walk in the light of His eternal love and grace. David writes:

[READ Ps. 18:29-30] è
29  For by You I can run at a troop of warriors;
And by my God I can leap over a wall.
30  As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is refined;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
A young woman who was struggling with a terminal illness insisted that she would visit her family over the Christmas holidays. She had been receiving treatment for several months, and her strength had faded. Still, she knew that one of the best medicines available to her was the love of her family and the presence of God in her life providing the support she needed. God is our very present help in times of trouble.
When Israel faced a serious threat from their enemies, Moses inquired of the Lord.

[READ Ex. 33:15] è
15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.”
Moses knew the value of having God lead the nation of Israel forward. In fact, he wanted to stay put if there was an outside chance that God was not going to go with them. Obedience teaches us to want the same thing. In other words, we want to be in God’s will and not off on some trail that leads to serious trouble and disappointment.
If you are not sure about the direction you are about to take, pray as Moses prayed, “If Your presence does not go with me, then do not lead me up from here. Block my path, and guide me so that I will be in the center of Your will.” è

2) Listening for God’s Direction
There is a mind-set in our world that tells us as long as we are doing good things, God will bless us. Satan loves to derail our lives by telling us that God really does not care where we end up. He wants us to think that the entire world is God’s ministry, and whatever we choose to do is okay with Him. While not everyone is called into the ministry, each one of us certainly has been called by God to fulfill a certain purpose. There is no greater blessing than to know that you are doing what He has gifted you to do -- whether it is on your job or in your church. Years ago I preached a series of messages on spiritual warfare and how Satan speaks to us through many different voices, most of which we do not immediately recognize as our spiritual foe. I talked about how we are constantly hearing different voices of reason -- all of which, if we allow them, could drown out the voice of God. Remember, God spoke to Elijah through a whisper and not from the center of a raging storm. You may feel as though your life is in a vortex of trouble, but if you ask Him to show you how to be still before Him, He will; and in the calm of His presence, you will hear Him speak words of hope and encouragement. There are three ways God speaks to us today: through His Word, through the Holy Spirit who lives within the life of the believer, and through a trusted Christian friend or pastor. However, before you can hear His voice, you must be still enough to listen. è

3) Living with a Sense of Perfect Peace
David learned to wait before the Lord, and we need to do the same. God’s timing is perfect. He knows when to tell you to move forward. Until He does, you can rest knowing that the Prince of Peace is at work in y our life. When trouble comes, we think, “I’ve got to do something.” An opportunity presents itself, and we j ump at it. People sink deeper into debt because they refuse to be still and listen for God’s guidance. They jump ahead of the Lord and then wonder why their lives are so troubled. Before they know it, they have added layer upon layer of problems that they cannot control. This can be true of someone who has lost a spouse or job. The death of a loved one is devastating. Being laid off from a job we like can strike hard against our self-esteem.
After the sudden death of his wife, a middle-aged man announced to his friends that he could not be alone. He needed a wife. Therefore, he remarried and quickly risked bypassing God’s best to meet a need in his life. He did not even know if what he was doing was right. He just knew that he had a need and could not wait any longer. Loneliness is not something only single people face. It is something that comes from not being at peace in God’s presence and not being satisfied with what He has provided. A person can be lonely even though they are in a room full of people. Never allow loneliness to drive you to do something that you will regret later. God has your need well within His sight, and He will meet it according to His timetable. è

IV. WHO CAN IDENTIFY WITH YOUR SORROWS? (Heb. 2:18; Phil. 4:13; Isa. 61:3)

Jesus Christ died a cruel death so that you might have eternal life. He knows exactly the struggle you are facing. The writer of Hebrews says ...
[READ Heb. 2:18] è
18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

He understands the temptations you face. He knows the frustration of your heart, the feelings of rejection that threaten to overwhelm you with sadness, and the burdens you bear that seek to crush every notion of hope within you.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Mt. 26:39). Just as we have done, Christ asked if there was another way for God to accomplish His will. No one, not even the Savior, enjoys the thought of adversity. However, no sooner had this thought passed cover His lips than He professed His willingness to obey God: “Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Surrender is not a symbol of weakness for the Christian. It is a demonstration of tremendous strength -- the same strength that Paul talked about.

[READ Phil. 4:13] è
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

When life turns stormy and we cannot see the shoreline, we may not have the strength to trust God, but Christ within us will give us this ability.
When problems come, we also wonder if we have done something wrong. Are we out of step with God’s plan? Is sin involved? While these are important questions, the greater question is, “Lord, how do You want me to respond to this problem?” If you’ve fallen into sin and are living apart from God’s fellowship, then you know what you need to do -- ask Him to forgive you and restore you spiritually so that you might enjoy His goodness again. If you have refused, like Jonah, to do what He has asked you to do, then tell Him that you have been rebellious and that you want to get back on track with Him. God will not refuse you. In fact, He will embrace you with open arms.

The difficulty and trial that you are facing may simply be the result of God’s desire to test your faith and strengthen you for a greater blessing. If you sense that this is the case, tell Him that you are willing to remain right where you are until He moves you forward. Always keep in mind that God uses the circumstances of life to conform us to His image. He strengthens our faith and tests our ability to trust Him by allowing difficulty at work and also in our relationships with others. Often, pride is hiding out just beneath the surface of our hearts, and God knows that when He turns up the pressure, it will be exposed and then He will deal with it. He always has a purpose for the trials He allows to touch our lives. The thorn in the apostle Paul’s life was allowed by God to keep the apostle from being prideful. The difficulties that David faced were sent to prepare him to rule Israel. The sufferings that New Testament believers faced was used to strengthen their faith and as a testimony to each of us.
Our response to every trial is crucial. We have the choice to become bitter or to grow stronger in our faith. You may feel as thought your life has been burned to the ground and nothing recognizable remains. However, God sees potential even when you are blinded to the hope your life contains. God promises us “[beauty or] a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning” (Isa. 61:3). For God’s people, ashes are a sign of grief, unworthiness, humiliation, and penitence. But they are also used as a symbol of deep humility and need. In his misery and sorrow, Job sat in ashes, but God restored all that he had lost to an even greater degree. God never subtracts; He always multiplies.

Conclusion: No one can escape adversity. Either we are passing through a dark valley or we see one approaching. Life is full of trials. However, it is brimming with victory, too. God uses difficulty to shape and mold us so that we become men and women of faith -- people who reflect His love and mercy to others. Jesus knew His disciples could not minister to others until their lives had been broken by adversity. Each time the Savior allowed dome hardship to come their way, He was preparing them for the future and for their ministry. We are trained by life’s difficulties to either trust God or ourselves. If we trust the Lord, we will never know defeat. We may suffer at times, be disappointed, and even face discouragement, but we will never lack anything. God is faithful, and He will provide exactly what we need, when we need it. è BLACK SLIDE